Minor NFL Transactions: 10/3/25
Here are Friday’s minor moves:
Cincinnati Bengals
- Claimed off waivers (from 49ers): DT Jordan Jefferson
- Waived: DT Howard Cross III
Las Vegas Raiders
- Signed from practice squad: WR Alex Bachman
- Placed on IR: OLB Brennan Jackson
The Bengals are the second team to claim Jefferson this year. A 2024 fourth-round pick out of LSU, Jefferson couldn’t make it to Year 2 in Jacksonville and was waived in final roster cuts. Cincinnati tried to claim him then, badly needing improved depth on their defensive line at the time, but San Francisco had higher priority. When the Niners waiving him yesterday, the Bengals got a second chance to claim him.
Jackson is dealing with a foot injury that will take at least four weeks to come back from, making him an easy candidate for injured reserve.
Commanders QB Jayden Daniels Receives Medical Clearance, To Return In Week 5
OCTOBER 3: To no surprise, the Commanders announced on Friday that Daniels will play this week. Washington (2-2 on the year) will take on the Chargers Sunday with expectations for increased production on offense.
OCTOBER 1: Commanders head coach Dan Quinn announced on Wednesday (via CBS Sports’ Jonathan Jones) that quarterback Jayden Daniels was medically cleared for full participation at practice.
Daniels has been sidelined for the last two games with a knee injury suffered in Week 2. The Commanders went 1-1 in his absence with Marcus Mariota under center.
The veteran quarterback was efficient in Week 3, though 14 of Washington’s 41 points had little to do with Mariota. One touchdown was a 60-yard rush by running back Jeremy McNichols; another was a 90-yard punt return by rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane. Mariota was not as effective in Week 5, though the Commanders still scored 24 points against a sneaky-good Falcons defense.
Mariota’s performance showed exactly why he is among the league’s top backups. He was a fine caretaker of the Commanders offense, but Daniels no doubt offers a much higher ceiling of play through the air and on the ground. Returning to full participation this week is an excellent sign for his chances to play in Week 5, provided that he doesn’t experience a setback in practice.
Quinn did not have any concrete updates on other injured players like Terry McLaurin, Noah Brown, and John Bates, saying (via Nicki Jhabvala of The Athletic) that all three are “trending up” and “making good progress.”
Texans Sign T Trent Brown To Active Roster
One of the Texans’ veteran offensive tackles (Cam Robinson) is no longer with the team. Another (Trent Brown) is now in position to potentially see game action, however. 
Brown has been signed from Houston’s practice squad to the team’s active roster, per agent Drew Rosenhaus (via ESPN’s Adam Schefter). The 32-year-old has yet to play in the regular season this year. Based on today’s news, though, that could change as early as Week 5.
In March, the Texans signed Brown as one of several moves altering their offensive line. The unit’s play was a major sore spot in 2024, but the early portion of this season has not seen the desired improvement. Robinson was not handling starting duties during his brief Houston tenure, something which informed his trade from the Texans to the Browns earlier this week.
Second-round rookie Aireontae Ersery has handled first-team duties at the left tackle spot so far. Houston’s second-round selection last year – Blake Fisher – saw notable time at right tackle last season but in 2025 he has played only nine offensive snaps. Instead, Tytus Howard worked at the RT spot for the first three games (before shifting to guard in Week 4). Brown’s promotion will give the Texans another option up front.
Over the course of his 10-year career, Brown has amassed 96 starts while seeing time at both tackle spots. The 32-year-old was released during roster cuts in August, but he immediately signed to Houston’s practice squad. After one month without seeing game time, Brown now finds himself in the fold as the 1-3 Texans aim to rebound from a poor start to the campaign.
Lamar Jackson To Miss Week 5; Ravens QB Facing Multi-Week Absence?
OCTOBER 3: Jackson is one of six players the Ravens have now officially ruled out. Baltimore’s offense will be in Rush’s hands while the team deals with a number of key injuries on defense Sunday. Looking ahead, The Exhibit’s Josina Anderson reports Jackson is currently expected to be out for Week 6 as well.
OCTOBER 1: Jackson’s availability for Sunday’s game is still “in doubt,” per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, but he characterized the star quarterback’s status as “week-to-week,” referencing and countering Tuesday’s report.
The news will offer some hope to fans in Baltimore, but it still feels like Rush will start in Week 5. If Rapoport is correct, however, he could be back in Week 6 as opposed to Week 8 after the Ravens’ bye
SEPTEMBER 30: The Ravens endured another loss to the Chiefs, this one a one-sided defeat that further exposed issues on Baltimore’s leaky defense. The team carried some excuses, however, as its starting defense was down more than half its bodies by game’s end.
A more pressing matter came when Cooper Rush replaced Lamar Jackson during the second half. Jackson suffered an injury to his right hamstring later deemed a strain, according to ESPN.com’s Jamison Hensley and Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio. The superstar quarterback could not have returned to the game if it were competitive, with John Harbaugh saying (via Hensley) there was “no way” his top player could have come back during the 37-20 loss.
Jackson is now viewed as unlikely to be ready for Baltimore’s Week 5 contest. He is expected to sit against the Texans, the Baltimore Sun’s Brian Wacker reports. A two- to three-week absence would be within the realm of possibility, per Wacker. The Ravens face the Rams in Week 6 and have their bye in Week 7. Considering the injuries the Ravens’ defense has sustained, the early bye should prove beneficial.
The Ravens played the Chiefs without Nnamdi Madubuike, Travis Jones and Kyle Van Noy. They then lost Roquan Smith, Marlon Humphrey and Nate Wiggins during the game. Ronnie Stanley also left the Kansas City matchup, one of the more disastrous Ravens regular-season games in recent memory. Madubuike is out for the season, and the Ravens are expected to be without Smith and Humphrey for a bit.
Hamstring injuries regularly sideline players multiple weeks, with some — like George Kittle‘s Week 1 setback — leading to IR placements. We are not there yet with Jackson, and any Ravens hopes Jackson could be back within a four-game span would undoubtedly lead Baltimore to keep its eighth-year QB on the 53-man roster and go week to week here. But any missed time at quarterback will certainly deal a major blow to the Ravens.
Jackson, 28, rebounded from injury-marred 2021 and ’22 seasons by posting back-to-back first-team All-Pro years. The two-time MVP did not miss any games due to injury in 2023 and ’24, rocketing to a higher level as a passer and effectively ensuring himself Hall of Fame induction down the road. But this setback does remind of those the Raven centerpiece suffered earlier this decade.
A sprained ankle in 2021 led to Jackson being shut down. His 2022 setback — a PCL sprain — generated more attention, as the Ravens had hoped the dual-threat dynamo to return; that never came to fruition. Jackson defended himself against criticism he could have played late that season; the Ravens were eliminated in Round 1 of the playoffs with then-backup Tyler Huntley at the controls. Jackson missed 11 games, counting the wild-card loss to the Bengals, from 2021-22.
Despite struggling against the Chiefs once again, Jackson exited Week 4 with an NFL-most 10 touchdown passes this season. The Ravens signed Rush as their backup this offseason, giving the former Cowboys QB2 a two-year, $6.2MM deal. Rush has made 14 career starts, winning nine.
Despite Cowboys trade acquisition Trey Lance needing game reps, Mike McCarthy primarily used Rush when Dak Prescott went down midseason. Rush went 4-4 as Dallas’ starter last season, posting a 12:5 TD-INT ratio with a 60.7% completion rate and just a 6.0 yards-per-attempt figure. As our Nikhil Mehta pointed out in the Ravens’ Offseason In Review piece, Rush marked a deviation from the franchise — one that had primarily stationed mobile QBs behind Jackson since the Joe Flacco trade. Rush will be a departure from that, and the Baltimore offense would naturally look different with the 31-year-old passer replacing Jackson.
NFL Aiming To Play Eight International Games In 2026
The 2025 regular season schedule includes seven games played outside the United States. The CBA allows for eight such contests per year, and the maximum should be expected for next season. 
[RELATED: NFL Still Eyeing 16 Annual International Games]
During an interview with Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer, Gerrit Meier – who serves as the NFL’s managing director of the international department – said the league is “pretty confident” the full eight-game slate for overseas contests will be included for 2026. It is already known a first ever game in Australia will take place next year, while a new deal was recently worked out for at least three games to be played in Rio de Janeiro over the next five years. It would also come as no surprise if a return to Dublin were to take place in short order after this year’s debut there.
“The ambition to go international itself, it’s not a new ambition,” Meier said. “I think the point we’ve gotten ourselves to now is, O.K., how has the world changed? And if we truly want to be a global sport, what are the different elements that go into that? And we’ve seen that just having a game, that’s not enough. Just having media, that’s not enough. So just talking about the various elements, we realized there’s something bigger.”
Indeed, the NFL’s efforts to grow the game in international markets has included more than staging games over a span of several years and in various cities. As Meier informed Breer, the league is set to open a headquarters in Spain. That will make it the eighth country outside the United States to house such a venue, joining Canada, Mexico, Brazil, the United Kingdom, Germany, China and Australia in that regard. Madrid will play host to the Dolphins-Commanders game in Week 12 this year.
Given the long-running efforts to expand the NFL’s reach in Europe, the possibility of one or more franchises based there has been a talking point. According to Meier, though, an international team and/or division is not a “front burner” matter at this point. Instead, expanding into other markets – commissioner Roger Goodell has named Asia as a potential target in that respect – remains a clear priority, with Europe sill a high priority.
On that note, Meier confirmed the league is still interested in holding games in France in the future. He added Italy is another country the NFL is “exploring.” With further increases in the total number of overseas games played on an annual basis expected, the list of potential destinations for international contests continues to grow as well.
Commanders, Jets, Ravens To Meet With Drake Jackson
The 49ers’ top draftee in 2022, Drake Jackson did not deliver on his second-round investment. A knee injury derailed the USC product, who has not played in nearly two years.
Jackson went down in November 2023, being shut down by Week 9. At the time, the 49ers did not declare the defensive end out for the season. But as the team’s playoff outlook came into focus, Kyle Shanahan made it clear Jackson would not be part of it. Jackson then spent the 2024 season on the 49ers’ reserve/PUP list, inviting concern about his NFL future since that placement came about as a result of a 2023 injury.
After being given the season-ending PUP designation during training camp, Jackson received his walking papers from the 49ers in May. No updates had tied Jackson to teams since, but that has changed. The former No. 61 overall pick has returned to full health, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, who reports the recovering edge rusher has booked three visits as a result. The Commanders, Jets and Ravens have scheduled meetings with Jackson, who will huddle up with those interested clubs beginning this weekend.
When available in San Francisco, Jackson was moderately productive. Logging a 33% snap rate as a backup in 2022, Jackson tallied three sacks. In 2023, Jackson added three more on a 38% snap rate. That production came in nine games, as the 6-foot-4 D-end was done by midseason.
The 49ers have made two sets of offseason moves since Jackson’s injury, signing Leonard Floyd and Yetur Gross-Matos in 2024 and then adding Mykel Williams in Round 1 before trading for Bryce Huff this offseason. The latter duo, with Floyd since cut, is playing a bigger-than-expected role due to Nick Bosa‘s Week 3 ACL tear.
Washington carried a big EDGE need into the summer but did add Von Miller ahead of his age-36 season. Miller has 1.5 sacks and three QB hits through four games, with Dorance Armstrong leading the team with three sacks. Washington has lost Deatrich Wise for the season, however. Ravaged by defensive injuries, the Ravens have been without Kyle Van Noy for two games. They only have four sacks on the season; contract-year EDGE Odafe Oweh is sackless thus far. Jermaine Johnson returned from injury to complement Will McDonald in New York this season. Johnson does not have a sack, having missed the past two games due to a concussion.
Jackson, of course, does not exactly profile as an immediate fix for EDGE-needy teams. The knee injury threw off his developmental track. A practice squad invite may be Jackson’s more likely route here, but significant interest emerging does point to the 2022 draftee receiving another chance soon.
Jets RB Braelon Allen To Miss 8-12 Weeks
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn announced (via ESPN’s Rich Cimini) that running back Braelon Allen is expected to miss eight to 12 weeks due to the knee injury that landed him on injured reserve on Thursday.
Allen could opt to rehab his knee with or without surgery, per Glenn, with the same timetable for both options. That will keep the 2024 fourth-round pick sidelined until the very end of November at the earliest.
Allen’s injury, believed to be an MCL sprain, will set back a sophomore campaign that was seen as an opportunity for the 21-year-old after playing second fiddle to Breece Hall as a rookie. Regime change is often accompanied by roster turnover, and the new leadership could let Hall – a second-round pick under previous general manager Joe Douglas – walk in free agency and install Allen as the team’s future starter.
Hall has gotten off to a strong start this year, and Allen’s injury will likely rob him of the chance to impress his new coaches. Hall did not emerge as an extension candidate, as of this summer, but rumblings about an in-season trade will likely cease following this Allen news.
Allen’s timetable is on the high end for MCL sprains, but these injuries can be tricky. While Allen’s 2025 season stands to be marred by this malady, time remains on the running back’s side. The Wisconsin alum played his entire rookie season at age 20, and the Jets will have his age-22 and age-23 campaigns (perhaps with Hall elsewhere) to continue this evaluation. Allen finished with 334 rushing yards on 92 carries last season, playing in all 17 Jets games. He is at 76 (on 18 totes) thus far this year.
This will deplete an offense already lacking for auxiliary playmakers beyond Hall and Garrett Wilson. With Allen on IR and RB/return specialist Kene Nwangwu missing practice this week with a hamstring injury, the Jets will likely make a roster move to fill out their Week 5 backfield depth chart. Only Hall and Isaiah Adams are healthy options going into the team’s Cowboys matchup.
Chosen one round after Allen in last year’s draft, Adams gained 174 rushing yards on 30 handoffs as a rookie. The South Dakota State product will be expected to play a bigger role with Allen out of the picture. Rookie UDFA Lawrance Toafili is the only running back on Gang Green’s practice squad. Toafili has yet to make his NFL debut.
Sam Robinson contributed to this post.
Brock Purdy Suffered Setback With Turf Toe Injury, Could Miss Week 6
OCTOBER 3: Shanahan confirmed (via Cam Inman of the Bay Area Sports Group) that Purdy re-aggravated his injury and will again be week-to-week moving forward.
“[I] don’t know how it will heal,” added Shanahan.
The 49ers can be patient with Purdy’s recovery, as Jones has played well in his three starts, including a 342-yard, two-touchdown perfomance on Thursday night against the Rams. However, the team’s financial commitment to Purdy will likely stave off any chance of a quarterback controversy. Instead, Jones could follow in Sam Darnold‘s footsteps and parlay his success in San Francisco into a starting gig elsewhere.
OCTOBER 2: While it sounded like a short turnaround was the main reason for Brock Purdy‘s absence from tonight’s Week 5 contest, the 49ers QB may actually be sidelined for more than just this week. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Purdy suffered a setback with his turf toe injury and is now considered week-to-week.
Per Rapoport, the quarterback reported soreness following his return in Week 4. The player later underwent an MRI, which revealed an aggravation of his lingering injury. As a result, Purdy is now at risk of missing more than just Week 5, with Rapoport hinting that the 25-year-old could also sit out the 49ers’ Week 6 matchup against the Buccaneers.
Purdy missed Weeks 2 and 3 while dealing with the turf toe injury. He returned for Week 4 and didn’t miss a snap, but he informed coach Kyle Shanahan of some soreness following the loss. Shanahan noted that Purdy and the team had to navigate “a totally different element” considering the four-day turnaround before Thursday Night Football, and after being listed as a non-participant on Monday, the quarterback was later ruled out for Week 5.
Now, it sounds like Purdy is at risk of missing at least his fourth game of the 2025 campaign. The former Mr. Irrelevant has generally stayed healthy throughout his career. He suffered a torn UCL as a rookie during the NFC Championship Game but managed to return for 16 games as a sophomore. He also missed a pair of games in 2024 thanks to shoulder and elbow injuries.
In two games this season, Purdy has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 586 yards, four touchdowns, and four interceptions. After tossing 31 touchdowns as a sophomore, Purdy finished the 2023 campaign with 20 touchdown passes. The QB inked a five-year, $265MM extension with the 49ers back in May.
Mac Jones will continue to start for the 49ers as long as Purdy is sidelined. The former first-round pick has guided the 49ers to a pair of wins through his first two starts, tossing four touchdowns vs. only one interception.
Bucs RB Bucky Irving Battling Foot Sprain
OCTOBER 3: Irving will miss the Buccaneers’ Week 5 matchup with the Seahawks; the team ruled him out. He missed practice all week and is at risk of being sidelined for the team’s Week 6 contest as well, per ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
OCTOBER 2: One of the NFL’s biggest running back success stories in recent years, Bucky Irving commandeered the Buccaneers’ starting job last year and entered this season as the unquestioned leader of the team’s backfield. Irving delivered a strong performance in Tampa Bay’s narrow loss to Philadelphia in Week 4.
Irving came out of that game worse for wear, however, and is battling two injuries. Suiting up for Week 5 will be an uphill battle for the second-year player, as NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo and Ian Rapoport indicate the player is gathering medical options on an injury ESPN’s Adam Schefter later labeled a foot sprain. Although Irving came out of Sunday’s game with a shoulder malady as well, the foot issue is the one that would stand to impede a return against the Seahawks.
The former fourth-round pick was spotted on crutches and with a walking boot on his injured left foot, per the Tampa Bay Times’ Rick Stroud, while Todd Bowles said the boot will need to be shed by Friday if he is to consider deploying his starter against the Seahawks. IR does not appear a consideration just yet, with Irving labeled day-to-day, but gathering medical opinions and an ultimatum on a walking boot do not present positive signs for the RB’s Week 5 availability.
This creates an issue for the Bucs, who have seen Irving become a regular producer since he usurped Rachaad White in the backfield. The team is also already without offensive regulars Mike Evans, Luke Goedeke, Cody Mauch and Jalen McMillan.
Joining Bo Nix in transferring to Oregon in 2022, Irving landed in Tampa after his Day 3 draft arrival. Despite mid-round status, the ex-Minnesota recruit impressed with a 1,122-yard rushing season as a rookie. Irving also added 392 receiving yards, becoming an all-around option for Baker Mayfield. Irving managed 1,514 scrimmage yards despite starting only three 2024 games. Only Alvin Kamara (1,554) tops that among rookies with three or fewer starts throughout NFL history.
Irving also managed this with a 5-foot-10, 195-pound frame. His size created moderate concern about durability, but the Bucs gave him 254 touches last season. He has impressed in Year 2, totaling 430 scrimmage yards and two touchdowns. One of those came on a 72-yard toss from Mayfield against the Eagles.
If Irving cannot go, White looms as the next man up. The Bucs’ starter in 2023 and for most of 2024, White is in a contract year and likely to depart — thanks to Irving’s emergence — in 2026. Though, the Bucs sure have displayed a penchant for re-signing their own in recent years, potentially not shutting the door on White staying. White is averaging an impressive 4.7 yards per carry, but that has come on 23 totes compared to Irving’s 71. The Bucs have given Irving at least 20 touches in three straight games. Sean Tucker, a third-year UDFA, would be White’s backup/change-of-pace option if Irving sits.
Titans’ Coaching Staff Growing Uneasy?
The Titans have nosedived since their 2021 divisional-round appearance brought nine Joe Burrow sacks but a Bengals win. Since, the team has finished 7-10, 6-11 and 3-14. This season shows no signs of that trend reversing, as Tennessee is 0-4 and coming off a shutout loss.
Houston blanked its division rival in a 26-0 Week 4 result, and Tennessee has lost three of its four games by at least 14 points. The Titans rank 32nd in offense and 28th defensively. Finding bright spots is difficult here, leading to natural speculation Brian Callahan is coaching for his job. Some internal buzz further points to that.
Entering Week 5, moderate concerns exist among the Titans’ coaching staff the front office may not be as patient as initially believed, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler notes. Although Titans brass came into the season confident Callahan could turn the ship around and did not set a win-loss benchmark for its coach to keep his job, per Fowler, team brass obviously wants to see an improving squad. That has not happened, and Fowler indicates the feeling around the league points to the temperature rising here.
Deck chairs are already being rearranged. Callahan benched himself as play-caller, going around his OC (Nick Holz) to give the duty to QBs coach Bo Hardegree. This reminds of an ill-conceived 2022 Broncos setup, when Nathaniel Hackett turned to QBs coach Klint Kubiak over OC Justin Outten due to the former’s play-calling experience. (Denver fired Hackett after Week 16; Outten was in Tennessee weeks later.) Holz’s lack of play-calling experience compared to Hardegree, the Raiders’ interim OC during the second half of the 2023 season, influenced Callahan’s call.
Hardegree’s debut with the call sheet did not go well, and Cam Ward then criticized his play and the performance of the team as a whole postgame. The Titans’ minus-69 point differential is the league’s worst, and a defense that ranked second in yardage in Dennard Wilson‘s debut (as Will Levis‘ poor play contributed to the team’s 30th-place scoring defense ranking) now sits 25th.
Callahan is also in the interesting position of being a second-year coach for a team that made another power-structure shift this offseason. Ran Carthon hired Callahan last year, but Amy Adams Strunk fired Ran Carthon in January, promoting assistant GM Chad Brinker to president of football operations. Brinker was in Nashville when Callahan was hired, but he had been operating as Carthon’s top lieutenant at the time. Brinker being promoted to control the Titans’ roster was somewhat eyebrow-raising after a 3-14 season, but he and new GM Mike Borgonzi are not tied to Callahan in the way Carthon was.
In a normal circumstance, offensive line coach Bill Callahan‘s past as a head coach (with the Raiders and at Nebraska) would make him a candidate as an interim option. Bill Callahan served in that capacity after Washington fired Jay Gruden in 2019. Bill being Brian’s father would certainly make it shocking if he stuck around, however, leaving an experience void for the Titans were they to can the younger Callahan (and likely lose Bill from the staff as well).
Neither Wilson nor Holz has conducted a head coaching interview previously. Senior offensive assistant Mike McCoy served as Chargers HC for four years; he could be an emergency option.
Even if Brian Callahan shows some improvement, he is certainly a long-odds candidate to be given a third season. Game management issues have cropped up during the former Bengals OC’s tenure as well, and Ward would need to show major improvement to convince Adams Strunk — who has acted rather impulsively in the past, with the Mike Vrabel and Jon Robinson firings preceding Carthon’s two-and-done stint — to stay the course beyond 2025.